New Coelacanth Species Identified from 150-Year-Old Fossil

A previously unknown species of coelacanth has been identified from a fossil specimen held in the collections of London’s Natural History Museum. The fossil itself is approximately 150 years old.

The identification was made by former University of Portsmouth palaeontology student Jack L. Norton.

The discovery addresses a significant gap in the fossil record of the Latimeriidae family, which includes modern coelacanths.

Geological Origin

The fossil was originally unearthed from the Lower Cretaceous Gault Formation in southern England.

Scientific Significance

This finding helps to fill a reported gap in the coelacanth fossil record that spans roughly 50 million years.

Coelacanths are often described as 'living fossils' because, unlike many ancient lineages, species still exist today. They survived the mass extinction event that wiped out the non-avian dinosaurs.